New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-15
TWO TRIMS STUCK IN A DRIFT.
FAST IN THE SNOW ON TIE HARLEM ROAD

ONE BOUND SOUTH AND THE OTHER NORTH
WORKING AT THEM ALL DAY.
fA"LrNd. NJ Y, Jan. H.-The Chatham express train
on tho Harlem division OF the New York Central Railroad
left Chatham, 127 miles from York. this morning at
$50 o'clock In charge OF Conductor Robert Swift 1t
was showing fast and thick at the time
ana tho wind tearing across the
tracks through Columbia County like young
blizzard from the West The road passes through many
small cuts and every OF these filed with snow.
Inc engine dragged the baggage and two coaches
slowly along to IIillsdac nineteen miles from Chatham,
and left there nearly hour late Copake Iron Works
the next place, is twenty-three miles from Chat
ham, and Boston Corners, tho second station,
Is twenty-eight miles. Between these two stops
the country Is hilly and the track passes
through many cuts At Boston Corners the wind blows
urousy and the stretch OF road there talked of by the
railroad men as the worst spot the line for ncpent
hurricanes The train got past Copake and through
the whsting snowstorm to cut almost like funnel in
shape The engine poughed through the thick sheet OF
snow spread across the rails but its speed decreased
every minute and at last the train stuck The engine
could move neither forward backward for II was held
firmly In DRIFT half mile long and ten feet high In
places the banks above the level OF the car
tops There were fifteen people aboard bound for points
all the way between here and New-YOrb
AT BOO o'clock or just five minutes after tho down
express train left Chatham the Chatham local train
pushed out from here bound up the road. Pawlng is
sXytwo miles south Of Chatham and the up local was
due at Boston Corners 7Oi O'clock II passed there
little behind time and struck the half mile drift near the
nclshaped cut just about the time that the
down express got stuck there 1t nearly $50
o'clock Neither train could help the Othet Conductor
Swift OF the Chatham train sent messenger back to
Copake and telegram sent to Chatham for assist
Word was also sent Dover Plains, twentyt
miles away, and White Plains, about eighty miles dis
tant and from the three places poughs and men
were sent 10 tho mbcdded trains. one Of the ploughs
ran into big drift before ii got to Boston Corners ana
ran on the track That plough useless and the others
pushed along slowly.
All the while the wind blowing 1ercely and the
rain began 10 fall In torrents The snow became wet ana
heavy and packed tight around the engine aud
coaches At last the plan OF cutting way through with
the poughs given up and sent out shovel
the snow away from the local train that had come IRON
Pawlng. The work went on from o'clock until 2, m
and then the track sufficiently clear to let the local
back down to Pawing IL carried back its
own passengers and took on board those
who had been on tho south bound train. Hero
local train which ought to leave Chatham al 1928 p M
and arrive in Ncwiork at 515 r. m, and on that the
sOutbound passengers sent down The train when
they had taken AT Chatham early In the morning remained
buried In the snowbank. way for it Will have To be
dug with shOyels. snow plough can force pain
through The oggy drift which covers the rails
III places with layer almost engines snokcstack
Only through train came 10 Ncw-Yorh yesterday
from Chatham. That left Chatham at IN. and rolled
into Grand Central station last evening time at
$40 O'Clock The steps OF the coaches filled with
and the windows and sides sprinkcd with Ice
The roofs covered with sheets OF ice.